realization
by ka-no.pdf
Summary: he didn't know when he started to love her. post alabasta arc


**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

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He didn't know when he started to love her. Was it that time she challenged his leadership of the Suna Suna clan? Or perhaps that time she cried beside his hospital bed?

He hadn't realized how much she cared about them until he saw her intense sobs; she'd always seem so strong, tough, hell, she was the one that challenged her! He didn't see her as soft Vivi, or gentle Vivi. He probably hadn't seen her as a girl until now, with her feminine features blooming. Or maybe he did, since he was surprised that such a fragile girl could pick a fight with some rugged kid like him.

He admitted it, he was bad with girls, he didn't exactly have a lot of time conversing with females since he had to work to rebuild Yuba, nevermind his time leading the Rebel army. He would feel uncomfortable in these situations but could still hold his ground. But Vivi was different, despite the fact he had spent the majority of his childhood with her, he still felt unusually flustered when she even just brushes against him.

Ugh, he needs to clear his head.

He strolled down casually the local street market of Alubarna; he just had an audience with the King and had time to spare before taking the journey back home. Many pedestrians and merchants were wary of his presence and gave him a slight nod before carrying on with their daily duties. Even though the "rebellion" (which was really a ruse caused by Crocodile) was over, people were still cautious around him since he was the one who single-handedly rose an army against the king.

Of course, he sighed, if he had knew sooner about the real situation at hand, he could have avoided useless bloodshed between both parties. What was done was done, there was nothing he could do but rebuild the kingdom from the aftermath of the battle.

A commotion halted his thoughts, he heard a familiar shout from the crowd in front of the stand. Extremely familiar, he noted.

"Sir, I clearly saw you take that trinket without paying. I'm sure there are others who had seen what you have done!"

"I didn't take anything, Princess!" a gruff voice protested, "Just because you're the heir doesn't mean you can start accusing innocent people of theft!"

Vivi scrunched her face in frustration, "Others had seen you steal from this stand! You are far from innocent if you can't even admit to your crime." A collective murmur sounded their agreements with the princess.

The stout man made to grab her wrist before Kohza stepped in, keeping Vivi out of the man's reach. Kohza recognized the man from the Rebel Army.

"K-Kohza! I didn't expect to see you here-"

"And I didn't expect to see you try to get away with theft," he interrupted, "I'm disappointed that a former soldier of the Rebel Army would drop this low. There are many witnesses against you here, save your dignity and return whatever you stole."

The man dejectedly handed him the trinket he'd taken, then shouldered his way out of the crowd. Kohza set the trinket back on the stand it was stolen from before turning to Vivi.

"I could have handled him just fine..." she murmured as she played with the tips of her hair.

He chuckled, "Yeah, you were doing a great job convincing him."

His heart seemed to beat a tad bit faster when she pouted, "I thought I was doing fine! I didn't need any help, so you didn't have to come in, it's not like you were part of it in the first place!"

"He just needed a bigger push than what you did. Besides, it was just one little fight, 's not something to get hung over about."

"I don't want to just rely on others though." Vivi explained, "I can't always wait for others to come to my rescue and fix all my fights. Especially since what happened before."

He was silent for a bit; she was right, Vivi had to go out on her own to find evidence, she could't wait for someone to come and defeat Crocodile. But even so, seeking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of trust.

"There isn't anything wrong with asking for help." He ruffled her hair a little, elicting a groan from her, "Sometimes when you're stuck you have to ask someone... I needed help seeing the truth."

She looked up at him with starry eyes, "I guess that's a good point..."

He continued his stroll down the street market, taking long strides whilst admiring the wares. Her footsteps quickened to catch up with his pace. Has she always been so short?

Of course she has, he reprimanded himself, she's always been that little hotheaded shorty. But he still found the difference in their heights amusing; he didn't even notice it before, he must have been a good head taller than her.

He noticed that she was lagging behind. Slowing down his pace, he stretched his arm out to her, "Here, you look like you need some help there." Kohza's heart was pounding by just offering his hand; why was he spouting such nonsense?

He saw her cheeks tint red put of the corner of his eye, and her soft hand gingerly slid into his rough, calloused palm. He flickered his gaze to her face, and a small smile graced his rugged face as she gave a small smile of her own.

He didn't know when he started to love her, but he knew that just holding her hand as they walked down the street market would make everyone else disappear.

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 **hello tis I.**

 **this is another old thing.**

 **kthxbye  
** **box**


End file.
